<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>I'm fine, but we need to talk by GreatDestruction</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979324">I'm fine, but we need to talk</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatDestruction/pseuds/GreatDestruction'>GreatDestruction</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>After TYBW, Attempt at Humor, From Sex to Love, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg, No Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, Oblivious Kurosaki Ichigo, Protective Kurosaki Ichigo, References to Illness, Spoilers for final manga arc, Swearing, The Author Regrets Nothing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:08:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,334</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatDestruction/pseuds/GreatDestruction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo is worried when Zangetsu doesn't come back home by midnight from his trip to see Kisuke.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hollow Ichigo | Zangetsu/Kurosaki Ichigo, Past Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I'm fine, but we need to talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>SPOILER WARNING: Please note that this is work that takes place after TYBW, in other words if you have not read the manga or do not want the last manga arc to be spoiled, f*ck off before reading any further. <br/>Pairing: Established main pairing: Ichigo x Hollow Ichigo/Zangetsu with past Ichigo x Orihime relationship.<br/>Disclaimer: Bleach aint' mine!<br/>Could be a one shot, could be a few more chapters if people are interested. If you want more, I'll write a few chapters about how they got together, how Ichigo and Zangetsu play out this situation and finally how they proceed. It would maybe around five to six chapters depending, or I'll make a series. Do tell if you want more!<br/>Sorry for any grammar mistakes (I'm not a native English speaker but I do try my best to give you a pleasant reading experience!), if you point them out I'll fix them as soon as I can.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ichigo closed the book he had been reading with a sigh. He glanced at the clock on the wall of the living room and frowned as he saw it was almost midnight. He glared at his phone that was on the glass coffee table, but he hadn't heard a single sound from the device since Zangetsu had left to see Kisuke around four that afternoon. Normally he would have went with the zanpakutou spirit but since he had been busy with a call from a client, he had decided that he would wait for the spirit to come back on his own. It wasn't uncommon for Zangetsu to go and pick up something to satisfy his bloodlust, namely condensed reishi candy that would keep the violent hollow blood happy and content for a while.</p>
<p>Ever since the thousand-year blood war, there had been peace. It was frankly disgusting how ordinary things were for him and his friends. He would never whish the death and suffering they all experienced to repeat, but the total peace was also a little abrupt for many. Ichigo had gone to medical school close to Karakura while Ishiha had gone to Tokyo. Tatsuki had taken up professional competing and was taking part in tournaments all over the world, had her own manager and everything. Orihime had become a paediatrician while Chad was taking on engineering school while also managing making music and helping out in the local pet shelter. Keigo had complained the longest when deciding before eventually settling for journalism. That had earned a laugh from everyone until Mizuiro had told them he was going to become a lawyer and earned a dozen raised eyebrows. No doubt it would help his family but Ichigo still though of the choice as odd. Until he saw how deadly the black-haired man was in court.</p>
<p>After graduating the group stayed in contact even while studying apart from each other. Ichigo and Orihime had dated for a while but they had both agreed that while they were good together, there was something missing and they decided to go their own ways for now. Maybe a bit of maturing and wanderlust would help or they found different partners that were better suited for both. Ichigo and Orihime had laughed when Tatsuki and Keigo had exploded when the group had found out. It was quickly settled and Ichigo had stayed alone for year before his almost daily training sessions with his zanpakutou spirit had ended up with Ichigo pinned against a tree and a hungry half hollow spirit biting at his lips.</p>
<p>Ichigo had kept the little development secret from everyone, including Kisuke who they had gone to in order to get Zangetsu a gigai. While the spirit could maintain a solid spirit form in the outside world for several weeks at one time, it was much more convenient to use the gigai to preserve both of their power in case something happened. It dimmed Ichigos and Zangetsu's connection somewhat, making their feelings come through 'as a bit muddled. It had led into them getting into the habit of falling into their shared inner world for sex, or for dumping their respective meat suits and doing the dirty in soul form.</p>
<p>Their relationship wasn't something that the hybrid wanted to declare to the world for several dozen reasons. The main trouble was what Ichigo had learned from Renji when the redhaired shinigami was too drunk to remember even his own name. The hybrid had asked if there were any instances of shinigami developing strange feelings toward their zanpakutou and the other man had looked at him with a dazed smile and glazed eyes.</p>
<p>"<em>Nah, the zanpakutou *hic* a-are a part of, you know, the soul, ugh, us. Anything-g like doing in-inapprompt -fuck, doing *hic* something like sleeping together would be like… like really, really, r-real bad for the soul… I think. *hic* Any shinigami that did that would be excu- excer… excused? No, not excused, ah executed! *hic* Serious thing, you k-know." </em></p>
<p>So yeah, Ichigo wasn't about tell his shinigami friends and definitely not his human friends because they had no filter. Telling wasn't on the table, and Yuzu, Karin and their piss-poor excuse of a father were all hounding him about when he and Orihime were going to be getting back together and starting a family. Ichigo scoffed, he was 25, a few years out of medical school, and they were looking for additions to the Kurosaki name already. Unfortunately for them, and their friends that were hoping he and the healer would shack up, Ichigo was perfectly happy no having a family, and happier to have his zanpakutou in his bed -the sex was amazing when you could give not just physical pleasure, but also the pleasure of joining souls and feeding reiatsu between them. Needless to say that both the hybrid and Zangetsu were used to mind-blowing orgasms.</p>
<p>They had been sleeping together and acting like a couple for well over two years (though not in public or at least they were damn sure that no one would recognise them), starting sometime after Ichigo had graduated but their occasional hook ups had been going on for several years before that. In the beginning Zangetsu had just wanted to teach Ichigo to allow his instincts to lead, but after a while it had become something more and escalated into whispered promises and tender confessions of love and loyalty. The change in their emotional state had been reflected in the bedroom. Whereas Zangetsu had been dominating the orange haired hybrid before, it slowly shifted to swapping and finally to the pale spirit submitting almost constantly to Ichigo.</p>
<p>Ichigo startled out of his thoughts as the clock made a small chime, indicating that it was half past midnight, now approaching 1am. Ichigo stood from the couch, grabbing his phone as he walked to the entrance of their apartment. He selected Zangetsus number, knowing that their connection was still too muffled for the spirit to understand anything he tried to communicate to him. The phone rang five times as Ichigo was getting nervous. When the phone was about to automatically cut the call, the spirit finally picked up.</p>
<p>"<strong>King?" </strong>The zanpakutou asked and Ichigo felt relief bubble up from somewhere deep in his mind.</p>
<p>"Hey you. You've been gone for a pretty long time. Everything alright?"</p>
<p>"<strong>I'm perfectly fine. You would know if I was injured." </strong>The spirit replied and Ichigo frowned as he heard something strange in the spirit's voice. He had picked up the phone out of gigai since the hybrid could clearly hear the double tone. Why would the spirit leave its gigai? To train, but Ichigo knew that Zangetsu hadn't done any fighting since he had been keeping an eye on their shared reiatsu reserves. What else could prompt the spirit to leave the gigai, a friendly chat with other spirits? Not likely and dumping the gigai wasn't necessary for that. The only other reason would an examination of the spirit form but why would Kisuke want to-</p>
<p>"Why did you go to Kisuke?" Ichigo asked and he heard the sigh from the other side.</p>
<p>"<strong>You're oblivious and dense at times, but I keep forgetting that you're not actually an idiot." </strong></p>
<p>"Zangetsu-!"</p>
<p>"<strong>I'm heading back. We'll… talk." </strong>The zanpakutou spirit murmured and Ichigo could hear resignation and something else lingering on the others voice. The orange haired man quieted, the spirit was safe and heading back. And he had been promised an explanation, it would be enough for now.</p>
<p>"Alright. I'll be waiting." ichigo replied and spirit hummed in agreement before the call cut off.</p>
<p>Ichigo sighed, dropped his hands to his sides and walked back to the couch and sat down. He opened the TV and watched blankly at the history documentary that was being shown to fill some quota. It took Zangetsu half an hour to get back, almost twenty minutes longer than Ichigo had though it should take with the Hollows abilities even in gigai aiding him. The hybrid sat up and whirled to watch as the spirit finally opened the door and came in.</p>
<p>He was dressed in black jeans that weren't skinny but still clung to the spirits ass nicely. His skin wasn't quite white as it was in spirit form, but it was very pale and almost translucent in the right light. His nails were black along with the scalera and the eyes were gold. The spirits hair, white as freshly fallen snow, was long and fell down the strong back and shoulders all the way to his hips almost uniformly before the shorter and strands stopped, and the longer ones reached his mid-thigh. Zangetsu kicked off his white sneakers and threw off the black, fur lined leather jacket, revealing the black v-neck t-shirt underneath. Ichigo took in the other male, appreciating the spirits beauty -gods that hair and those eyes- while also noting the differences between them.</p>
<p>Ichigo had gained bulk while the spirit maintained his lean but defined muscle tone. When it came to the fat percentages the spirit was gleeful to remind the hybrid that the human could get fat while he would not. They were the same height but while Ichigo kept his hair relatively short -longer than when he was young but not quite as long as the time when he had come out of the dangai. Ichigo wondered if the long hair of the spirit caused the illusion of a thinner waist and rounder ass on the spirit but considering that Ichigo had to spend several days just staring at the spirit to see it, it wouldn't jump out anyone else.</p>
<p>"So, ready to talk?" Ichigo asked and Zangetsu glanced at him, before sighing and popping a pill into his mouth. Ichigo frowned as Kon took over the spirits body and left the room with a frown. The mod soul walked into the guestroom and shut the door. Ichigo turned to the spirit as Zangetsu walked over to the couch, setting aside his white versions of his blade form and sat down next him with a sigh and a furrowed brow.</p>
<p>"<strong>You're not giving me a choice, are you King?" </strong>Zangetsu asked and Ichigo frowned.</p>
<p>"What is it?"</p>
<p>The pale spirit took the remote and turned the TV off before setting the remote down on the coffee table and leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Ichigo didn't lean closer, feeling the tangled mess of the zanpakutous feelings through their connection. A touch, no matter the trust between the pair, would not be well received. There was no other choice but to wait. Ichigo sighed, settling into the corner of the couch so that he could watch the spirit. He saw the clock strike half past one at some point and as it inched closer to two Ichigo was ready to head to the Shoten and ask Kisuke. He wasn't given a chance as the spirit finally spoke.</p>
<p>"<strong>I kept feeling strange last week." </strong>Ichigo was instantly alert, sitting up straight as alarm slowly settled into his bones. The spirit hadn't mentioned anything about not feeling well. <strong>"Didn't want to worry ya, since you had tha conference and all, I just kept it to myself. It wasn't anything major anyway, I was just tired and had headaches. This week I kept getting nauseous and a yesterday… I almost fainted." </strong></p>
<p>Ichigo remembered the echo of something from Zangetsu but he had been busy with a patient that had been spilling his guts all over the operation table. He had dismissed it and then forgotten it in the middle of a hectic shift.</p>
<p>"Why didn't you say-"</p>
<p>"<strong>Ya were busy. It wasn't anything urgent anyway-"</strong></p>
<p>"It could have been! Zangetsu, you-"</p>
<p>"<strong>I went to Geta-boushi because of it, good enough right?" </strong>Zangetsu interrupted and Ichigo sighed, sinking back into the couch as he closed his eyes for a moment -Zangetsu was here, alive- before locking eyes with golden ones.</p>
<p>"So what was wrong? I hope you got it fixed." Ichigo said and Zangetsu blinked at him before smiling with sharpness that Ichigo briefly felt the familiar bloodlust in him respond to it.</p>
<p>"<strong>Oh, King. This isn't going to as simple as sniffles or as straightforward as a heart attack." </strong></p>
<p>"What-"</p>
<p>"<strong>I really should've know, Hollow's are so different and so little is really know, but I figured nothing like this can happen since you're such a genetic disaster-"</strong></p>
<p>Ichigo spluttered and frowned deeper as he retorted quickly. "Disaster -the fuck Zangetsu? The hell has that to do with anything?!"</p>
<p>"<strong>Ah well… Some hollows, regardless of their physical gender, are able to procreate and bear young."</strong></p>
<p>"And?"</p>
<p>Zangetsu blinked at him and then brought up both hands to hide his face in them. Ichigo watched with a question on his lips but the spirit interrupted, with a white finger resting on parted plum lips.</p>
<p>"<strong>I think I mentioned during the earlier conversation that you can be dense as fuck, but so very smart at the same time. Now I'm given a prime example as to why that is true and why people forget how dangerously smart you can be." </strong></p>
<p>"What are-"</p>
<p>"<strong>You're a fucking idiot King. I'm telling you that I'm pregnant."</strong></p>
<p>There was silence, Ichigo staring at the golden eyes, feeling along their bond to find the deception and amusement that was supposed to come with the joke that the zanpakutou had said. The hybrid couldn't find a glimmer of deception or a trace of laughter on the spirits face or through their connection and suddenly he could tell that the spirit was dead serious. Ichigo squeaked as he his eyes roamed over the spirits body, before settling on the very much flat, and very finely chiselled abdomen hidden by the black and white silk. Brown eyes wide and voice high enough to be mistaken for an elementary school student he found enough sense to ask one question.</p>
<p>"You're what?!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please comment if you have a second!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>